Onslaught: A Castle Ravenloft story
by Telepathiner
Summary: This is an original story that uses elements from the D&D board game Castle Ravenloft, as well as the Ravenloft and Curse of Strahd RPGs.
1. Chapter One: Welcome to Castle Ravenloft

Onslaught: A Castle Ravenloft story

Cover photo from Bryan Scott's website Vampifan's World of the Undead. Used by permission.

Chapter One: Welcome to Castle Ravenloft

Arjhan, the Dragonborn Fighter, burst through the double doors of the castle crypt, vaulting the short flight of stairs leading down into the open foyer, and landed in the middle of the hall with a roar. Looming above him was a giant Flesh Golem, and overshadowing even that was the Dracolich called Gravestorm.

The sound that emanated from Gravestorm made Arjhan's roar sound like a mewling kitten. The four adventurers with Arjhan were moving in behind him and coming down the stairs. A crackling blast of lightning accompanied the Dracolich's roar. Unfortunately for Gravestorm, and the Golem, the bulk of the lightning blast caught the Flesh Golem in the back. Arjhan and the human Ranger named Allisa took some minor damage. The Golem was none too pleased with getting blasted by lightning. He turned with a growl and punched the Dracolich square in the jaw!

At the same moment, a Werewolf came flying out of a fetid den to Arjhan's right. The creature sunk its teeth into the Fighter's chest as it pounced on him. Behind the Werewolf, animals started swarming out of the den. Allisa turned to meet the onslaught as the Dragonborn grappled with the Werewolf in the center of the large hall. Rats swarmed up the Ranger's legs and attacked her with a multitude of bites. As she fended off a wolf attack with the blade in her left hand, a giant spider bit her right arm. With lightning speed, she flicked the blade in her right hand through the spider's legs and quickly cut it to pieces. The blade in her left hand found the wolf's throat before the canine could sink its teeth into her flesh. The rats continued to swarm her feet and legs from all sides, but Allisa sheathed her swords and readied her bow for the greater threat that lurked in the shadows of the den. Two more giant spiders and two more wolves waited behind the rat swarms.

As the human Rogue named Kat followed Allisa down the crypt stairs, something caught her eye to the right of the stairs. She turned to see zombies and skeletons filing in from the halls beyond. The Rogue moved to attack the pair at the front of the horde, as the Ranger followed Arjhan into the center of the main foyer. Kat threw two quick daggers at the skulls of the zombie and skeleton closest to her. They each went down with one shot. She hurled a barrage of daggers at the rest of the group, and each fell with one dagger to the head. Kat considered retrieving her daggers, but looked over at Allisa and saw her friend struggling under several rat swarms. With a few daggers left and sword at the ready, Kat prepared to help the Ranger.

The Dwarf Cleric Thorgrim would have willingly helped against Gravestorm, or the Werewolf, or the rat swarms, or the spiders and wolves, but as he followed Arjhan into the hall, he saw a Zombie Dragon coming in from the left. He ran to meet it. The Cleric's staff glowed red, and a column of flame leapt forth to engulf the Zombie Dragon. The beast felt the full force of the powerful Flame Strike spell, but barely slowed. Although Thorgrim stupidly ran within range of the dragon's attack, he managed to leap over the whipping tail and avoid the slicing wings. The dwarf thrust his staff into the creature's jaws, but caused only minor damage.

The Eladrin Wizard Immeril stepped to the left of the entry stairs. He looked up and saw a trio of Ghouls coming towards him, and a shadowy figure just beyond them. The Wizard formed a ball of fire in his hands and prepared to launch it.


	2. Chapter Two: Ireena Kolyana

Chapter Two: Ireena Kolyana

She was quite fed up with men. Her Golem positioned himself perfectly to catch the brunt of the Dracolich's lightning attack, which both protected the adventurers and gave him an excuse to attack Gravestorm, but she wasn't sure she would consider a Flesh Golem a man. Anymore than she was still a woman, really.

She watched the arrogant dragon-man wrestle with Strahd's pet Werewolf. It was a woman, you know. He would probably need help killing the thing. The dwarf had the upper hand on the Zombie Dragon for the moment, but the beast vastly overpowered the Cleric. And instead of noticing that Arjhan was fighting a Werewolf or that Thorgrim was poking a Zombie Dragon, Immeril the Wondrous Wizard decided to come toast some wimpy ghouls. Her dear old dad the Burgomaster had a heart attack and died because he couldn't deal with what was happening to HER! Well, how the hell was she supposed to deal with it?

And then there's Count Strahd von Zarovich himself. A couple of hundred years ago, Strahd fell in love with this woman Tatyana, but she loved Strahd's brother Sergei, and Sergei loved Tatyana. So Strahd killed his brother and became a vampire because he's a homicidal psychopath. Then Tatyana killed herself, because this homicidal psycho vampire was obsessed with her.

Now Strahd thought she was the reincarnation of Tatyana because she looked like this painting on Strahd's wall. But she had no idea who this woman was. She wasn't some reincarnated soul to be a plaything of this vampire. She was Ireena Kolyana. And if Tatyana's soul did come back, it would probably be to seek revenge on Strahd. This wasn't some romantic love story. The dude murdered her husband, became a vampire and drove her to suicide. She'd try to kill him on sight!

Strahd had wanted to make Ireena, who he thought was Tatyana, into a vampire. But Ireena's will was too strong. It helped her survive, but might have been more curse than blessing. Instead of succumbing to the vampiric form, her body revolted. In fighting to stay alive, her body underwent a transformation. Instead of two neat fangs, all of her teeth became long and jagged. She couldn't even close her lips over them anymore. Her hair became dead and gray. At the end, her skin shriveled up so that she looked like an old crone, though she was only 26. She had also gained certain powers. She was still mortal. If she was not killed, she would grow old and die. She was just… stronger. Strahd was so dead. She hated what he did to her. She was so frustrated. They called her the Howling Hag. She howled.

Before Immeril had a chance to launch his scorching burst of fire, a horrifying howl emanated from the shadows behind the ghouls. The heads of two of the ghouls exploded. Immeril, Thorgrim, and the other ghoul were all in range but escaped damage. The Zombie Dragon winced in pain, and received as much damage from the sound as from Thorgrim's poke in the mouth. The Wizard snuffed out the growing flame in his hands, which was a spread attack. He fired a more powerful, focused Magic Missile at the remaining ghoul, but it escaped damage yet again. The Eladrin looked at the cloaked figure that emerged from behind the ghouls. As the figure removed its hood, Immeril recognized the tragic woman he and Thorgrim had met in the village.

They called her the Howling Hag. She started howling months ago when Strahd first tried to make her into a vampire. It was human howls of anguish then. It wasn't one night. It was a long, painful, horrifying ordeal. Strahd tried to transform her into a vampire almost every night for a period of four agonizing months, until he realized she had become something altogether different.

Even on the first night, her screams could be heard in the nearest fishing huts that dotted the coastline. A few men came close to the castle to try to see what was happening, but no one dared to think about anything like a rescue. Everyone knew who lived in the castle. Strahd had terrorized the village of Barovia for 400 years.

Ireena was the Burgomaster's daughter, so she was well-known throughout town. It was known within the first week that she was being held captive by Strahd. No one could say quite how they knew this, but soon enough, everyone in Barovia knew the Howling Hag, as she had derisively come to be known, was Ireena Kolyana, the adopted daughter of the Burgomaster. This was how things were. It was amazing how quickly a young woman screaming in distress night after night, trapped in Strahd's castle, could come to be accepted almost as normal by the townspeople, a part of a routine, even joked about. This was also how things were.

Night after night, Strahd drained as much of her stubborn human blood as he dared. He didn't want to kill her. Then he had an IV pump his blood directly from his veins into hers. Strahd was a powerful Magician and Necromancer, but he was also centuries ahead of his time scientifically. After each transfusion, her body and mind became more warped. Ordinarily, a person went through one night of agony, and awoke to eternal life. Ireena's body would not fully transform, and it would not release her to death. Her nails elongated and thickened, her teeth grew and sharpened. Her hair grew quickly, thinned, and became white. Her skin started to shrivel. They were already calling her the Howling Hag before her screams started to have real power.

One night as the liquid fire that was Strahd's blood pumped into her body, and she was screaming in anguish, she felt something happening in her throat. At the same time her skin shriveled even further, completing the hag look that had been overtaking her body for four months. The sound she was making suddenly grew even louder and higher pitched. She looked at Strahd standing over her and saw his eyes widen in surprise… then fear. He tried to throw his hands over his ears, but it was too late. The power of Ireena's Howl was a concussive force to Strahd's head that threw him across the room, tearing the IV out of his arm. Strahd slammed against the wall and crumpled to the floor. He put his hands to his bleeding ears, and staggered to his feet.

On his way out the door, the vampire lord started saying to his sorceror, a Kobold named Klak, "Take care of her, Klak, but-"

"Klak?" Klak was crumpled against another wall, ears bleeding, unconscious.

"Damn," Strahd muttered. He started to leave, then came back to the bed where Ireena was strapped down. She had stopped howling when the blood stopped flowing. He drew his sword and cut her free. He moved to the side to give her a clear path to the door. But he did not sheath his sword.

"Go," he said simply. "You are free."

Ireena sat up in confusion, and pulled out the IV that was still trailing out of her arm. She found some gauze on the table next to her and taped it over the cut in her arm.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"I am giving you this one chance at mercy," Strahd said. "Leave Barovia and never return. My blood has given you a power I don't fully understand. I don't know if I could control you. Leave now. The next time I see you, I will kill you."


	3. Chapter Three: Beauty and the Beast

Chapter Three: Beauty and the Beast

Ireena left Strahd's castle that night, but she did not leave Barovia. She would have her revenge. She spoke with Strahd's Flesh Golem before leaving the castle. She wanted to say goodbye, but also arrange a way to meet him later. His name was Jackson, he was able to remember that much. Ireena had developed something of a friendship with Jackson over the months. Vampire blood could help alter the human body in all sorts of interesting ways. It was better than lightning. The Flesh Golem started as a strongman in a traveling show. Strahd killed him, then revived and enhanced him. He was now 12 feet tall and weighed half a ton. That is why when he swung his fist in rage at the Dracolich, he connected squarely with the creature's jaw. The trade-off was that his brain was rather fried from dying (twice), although he was smarter than Strahd gave him credit for. That was how Ireena was able to befriend him. She hadn't been confined to a cell during her stay at Castle Ravenloft. Strahd slept during the day in a hidden chamber. Ireena was free to move about as she pleased. There was no way for her to leave the castle, of course. All the doors were locked by conventional means as well as magical ones. But she was free to roam anywhere that wasn't locked, and that included interacting with the other denizens of the castle. No one ever tried to harm her. Even the most primitive monsters somehow understood she was under Strahd's protection.

They left her alone, but few sympathized with her. Jackson was different. He still had a very human soul, he had just lost most of his intelligence. It started during the second week of Ireena's all expenses paid sojourn at Casa Ravenloft. She was sitting in a courtyard watching the Kobolds spar when the giant suddenly sat next to her and held out a flower. Shock doesn't begin to cover what Ireena was feeling.

"Th-Thank you," she stammered, taking the flower from the Flesh Golem.

"Welcome," he said.

Ireena's eyes widened. "I didn't know you could talk," she said.

"Don't very well," he said.

Ireena smiled awkwardly at him for awhile, not knowing what else to say.

"Apparently, neither do I," she finally said.

The Flesh Golem roared with laughter at this. The sound was so loud it frightened her a little. Even the Kobolds stopped what they were doing and looked over.

"My name Jackson," said the Flesh Golem.

"Ireena," she said.

"Me know," he said.

"Oh," she laughed, "of course you do. How silly of me."

After another moment she said, "I didn't know you had a name."

Jackson roared with laughter again. Ireena wasn't frightened this time, and laughed with him after a second. They laughed together for quite some time, so much so that one of the Kobolds came over in concern.

"Everything okay over here?"

"Yes," they said together. This brought on another whole round of laughter.

"Freaks," the Kobold muttered, and went back to his men.

They sat in silence for awhile. Then Jackson tried to start speaking.

"Sorry about…" he began.

"I know Strahd makes you take me to him," Ireena said.

"I not hurt you?" he seemed genuinely concerned.

Ireena laughed again. "Not compared to what Strahd does."

Jackson hung his head. "Sorry about that, too."

Ireena watched him for a few moments.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

Jackson frowned. "Not know. Can't remember. Long time."

"Have you ever tried to leave? Or kill him?"

"Attack Strahd long time ago once. He kill me again. Bring me back. Know less after. Magic too strong."

"What about trying to leave?" she asked.

"Can leave anytime. Where go? People… not accept."

"Right. Sorry."

"S'okay."

Ireena watched him for a few more moments. She suddenly had an idea, although she wasn't quite sure where it would lead, yet.

"Let's not tell Strahd we're friends," she said.

Jackson immediately liked this idea, although he wasn't quite sure why, either.

He smiled, "Okay."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Jackson realized what she'd said.

"We friends?" he asked.

She smiled at him and held out her hand. He reached out his mammoth, stitched-together slab of a hand, and very gently took hers in his.

For some reason this brought a tear to her eye. "Oh yes," she said. "I think we are going to be very good friends."

They sat together holding hands for quite some time. The sun started going down. The Kobolds dispersed.

"I think they are afraid of you," she said.

"Strahd make us fight. Training. I hurt them bad. Accident."

"I understand," she said.

The sunset was actually quite beautiful over the ramparts of the castle. When the sun was almost gone, she felt a change in his demeanor. She let go of his hand and stood up. He stood up next to her.

"We should keep up appearances," she sighed, lifting her arms up to him.

Jackson understood. He scooped her up easily and gently put her over his shoulder.

"I'm going to pretend to fight you," she said. "Try not to hurt me."

"Never," he said, as he carried her into the castle to deliver her to Strahd.


	4. Chapter Four: The best laid plans

Chapter Four: The best laid plans…

One word at a time, Jackson told Ireena about a secret stairway in Castle Ravenloft. There were actually several secret stairways, as well as hidden chambers and passageways, among other things. This one was special because it led outside the back wall of the castle to a graveyard. The graveyard separated Ravenloft from the edge of Barovia. She never had a chance to see it because Strahd only used it after he was done with her for the night. She usually lost consciousness at some point as Strahd's blood flowed into her. It really hurt like hell. Or as he drained her blood out of her. And besides that, Klak was always there to watch her. The stairway was usually kept invisible and blocked through the use of magic. But it was accessible to anyone when Strahd was using it. Sometimes he left it open when he was rushing out into the night, frustrated by another failure with Ireena. Jackson was actually somewhat trusted by Strahd at this point. His "long time" was not an exaggeration. He had been with Strahd for two centuries. He simply didn't have the skill to open the magical seals blocking the stairway.

The night Strahd freed her, Ireena came up with a hasty plan for Jackson to meet her periodically. The reason he had to use the secret stairway was that the front entrance of Ravenloft led out to a more well-traveled road. It eventually led to one of the more populated areas of Barovia. The edge of town that bordered the cemetery, however, was nearly deserted. After Ireena left the castle, there would be no way to know how often Jackson might be able to sneak out the secret stairway and cross the graveyard, so she would wait on the edge of town every evening for him until well after sunset. There would not be much to tell for awhile, but Ireena knew that any plan that she came up with to defeat Strahd would involve Jackson.

She would not just flee from Barovia. She wanted to kill Strahd for torturing her for four months, but she would need more help than just Jackson. It wasn't just a matter of being strong enough to kill the vampire. Strahd had a veritable army of Undead and other creatures at his command. Ireena planned to seek aid in the village. This was before she found out they were calling her the Howling Hag, and before her father died. She wanted to go home before she did anything else.

Ireena quickly found out exactly why a Flesh Golem couldn't just walk through the forest road that led around to Barovia, because she experienced trouble herself. She left the castle close to dawn, so there were already some travelers on the road. Or in the case of the trouble, they might have still been on the road from last night. A group of men came up beside her on the road with horses and a wagon. There were six men in total, two on the wagon with two horses, and four riding next to the wagon. The sun had risen by the time she encountered this group. At this point, Ireena had not fully realized the extent of the changes to her face and body. The worst of it had been done on that final night, when her voice became a weapon. Before last night, she could have still passed for an ordinary human. Her features had gradually altered over the months, but now the change was so dramatic, she looked like another one of Strahd's creatures. She moved to the far right side of the road to let the men pass.

"My God, it's the Howling Hag," exclaimed the rider closest to her.

"What?" said his companion, turning to see what he was looking at.

"The Howling Hag, she was holed up in Strahd's castle."

The second man saw Ireena and gasped at her appearance. "I heard she used to be the Burgomaster's daughter," he said.

"I AM the Burgomaster's daughter," said Ireena. "What are you two babbling on about? What is this nonsense of a howling hag?" Ireena knew her teeth were sharp and protruding. She'd been having trouble speaking since that final transformation, but she had no idea how bad she looked. She had managed to find a hand mirror at some point during her stay at Ravenloft, but hadn't looked in it for a few days.

"Us babbling?" said one of the men. "You sound like death choking on a bone." By this time the men driving the wagon had pulled toward the side of the road. Between the wagon and the two men on horseback, they had more or less blocked her in.

Ireena slowed and stopped. "I just want to get back to Barovia, and go home. Why don't you try being polite and offer me a ride?"

"Howling Hag? More like a howling nag. You sound like my wife, and you're even uglier," laughed one of the men on the wagon. The other one suddenly threw an empty stein at Ireena while she was looking in another direction.

"Howl for us, Hag," said the man who threw the stein. It hit her squarely in the head. She screamed. The two horsemen near her and the two men on the wagon all grabbed their suddenly bleeding ears in pain.

"Well, you asked for it, didn't you," said Ireena. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone, but why are you throwing things at me? I just want to go home. I really think it would be better if everyone would just-" She turned her head in time to see one of the horsemen from the other side of the road, who were not hurt by her howl, charging right at her.

"-LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The horse and rider suddenly disappeared. The other rider from the other side of the road rode into the space where his partner had been and looked at Ireena. "Where'd he go?" he said.

"I have no idea," said Ireena.

"Did you make him disappear?"

"I don't know," she said.

The man held his horse about ten feet away from her. "She must be some kind of witch, boys," he called to the others. "You guys okay?"

Suddenly, they all heard a man screaming. "Help! Get me down from here! Help, help!" Everyone turned to see where the screams were coming from. About ten yards into the forest behind Ireena, the horseman who had charged her was about a hundred feet up in a tree. For some reason, the teleporting curse had separated him from his steed, who was safely on the ground under the same tree.

"Talk about a howling hag," muttered Ireena.

"Enough of this," said the man in the wagon who had thrown the stein, jumping down to the ground. He held an impressive looking walking stick in his hands. He walked slowly towards her and said, "She's a menace to public safety, whatever she is, and I'm going to put an end to her." He swung the staff at Ireena's head. She caught it with one hand, but he was able to pull it back away from her.

"STOP IT!" she screamed.

The man dropped his stick, put his hands to his ears again, and dropped to his knees. Ireena picked up the stick and swung it at the guy's head. It connected with a satisfying crunch. He fell flat on the ground.

"Those of you still on horses," Ireena said, backing up, "might want to get off your horses, lead them into the woods, and see about getting your friend out of that tree."

The two riders to the right of the wagon obeyed. The one that was now closer to her hesitated, looking at the man writing around on the ground.

"He'll be fine," Ireena said. "Come on now, off your horse and into the woods. Or come test me, your choice." She raised the walking stick in a threatening manner. The horseman flinched, and walked his horse to the edge of the road. He dismounted, and followed after the others. Ireena watched them for a moment, then remembered there was still another man in the wagon. She walked up to the left side of the wagon. The man was just cowering on the bench.

"Get down from there and help your friend, why don't you," she said. He was only too happy to comply. Ireena climbed up into the wagon. "I'll just take possession of this. Let's say it's what you owe me for my trouble. When you manage to get your friend out of the tree, turn around and ride back the way you came. None of you are welcome in Barovia, anymore. I AM still the Burgomaster's daughter, so I daresay I have something to say about that."

"The rest of the villagers will take one look at your face-" Ireena hit him on the head with her new stick. It really was quite impressive, she was glad that guy was carrying it.

"Shut up," she said. "Now let's see what you left me." Ireena climbed back into the wagon and looked around. "Beer, beer, bread, more beer, ale, oh wow vegetables. Quite the haul, here." She climbed back onto the bench, and took up the reins. She urged the horses forward. She had never actually driven a wagon before, but she did know how to ride a horse. "Alright, come on, how hard can this be? Barovia is straight down this road." The horses carried her away from her tormentors. For the moment. She wasn't driving the wagon for too long before she came upon other travelers. She remembered how the men had reacted to her appearance, so she pulled her cloak and hood tighter around herself in an effort to hide her features. She didn't have any more trouble on the road. If you went out the secret stairway in the back of the castle, you would be able to see Barovia across the cemetery. But the road from the front gates to the village was several miles. Ireena pulled into the drive of the Burgomaster's estate a couple of hours after she left Ravenloft. She recognized the manservant who came to greet her as she dismounted from the wagon. She tried to keep her features hidden for the moment. In her current state, she wanted to see her father before she had to deal with anyone else.

"Can you please call the Burgomaster out, I have urgent business to discuss with him," she said.

The servant looked at her more closely. He had known her for a long time, probably better than she knew him. There was something about her that he recognized, despite the current state she was in. "Ireena…?"

She put her head down. "No, please call the Burgomaster."

"Ireena, it is you. What happened to your face?"

She looked at him sadly. "I know you, but I don't even remember your name. I would like to see my father, please. Or Ismark, if my father is not available."

"O-Of course," he stammered. "Please come in. I'll have someone see to your, er, wagon." He looked at it in some confusion.

"Yes, please take care of the horses," she laughed. "I'll explain the wagon later, don't worry about it too much."

He led the horses and wagon to the corner of the main house, and motioned to someone else to come and take them. He came back to show her into the house.

"What is your name again?" she asked.

"Thomas, miss," he said.

"Thank you, Thomas."

He led her into the house. "Your father is actually meeting with a couple of council members, but I'm sure he'll come right out."

"Oh, I don't want them to see me," she exclaimed in alarm, rising back up from the sofa she had started to sit in. Just then voices could be heard coming down the hall.

"Quick, in the kitchen!" Thomas said, thinking fast. Ireena ran for the kitchen. It was the perfect place, she realized, as soon as Thomas said it. Neither her father or any members of the council would ever venture into the kitchen. It seemed Thomas would be a good ally. If anyone was there at all, it would just be a cook or server. Or…

"Ismark."

"Ireena? My God… what happened?"

"God had nothing to do with it." She paused. "Let's wait for father. It sounded like he was wrapping up whatever he was doing."

Ismark walked over to Ireena and embraced her. "It's good to see you, whatever's happened. We thought Strahd would kill you."

"Very nearly. Several times. Dozens of times." Ireena shuddered. She hugged her brother tight for several moments. After a short amount of time, their father came in.

He was carrying a glass of wine, which he dropped. It shattered on the floor. He clutched his chest.

He gasped, "Ireena-" and collapsed at the kitchen table. Then he fell onto the floor.

Ismark cried, "Daddy!" at the same moment Ireena called, "Father!" They both rushed to his side.

"No, no no, I just got here. I can't lose you already."

"He's having a heart attack," Ismark said.


	5. Chapter Five: Dragonborn

Chapter Five: Dragonborn

He should probably stop roaring at the beginning of battles. It was intended to intimidate his enemies, but more often than not, he just ended up getting attacked by something. This time a Dracolich torched him with lightning, and a Werewolf pounced on him and buried its teeth in his chest. He should also probably stop volunteering to help kill vampire lords. Alright, here we go.

Arjhan pushed the creature off him and swung his mighty great axe in a crushing blow aimed between its eyes, but the quicksilver shapeshifter easily sidestepped the attack. It countered with a frenzied swipe that caught the Dragonborn Fighter under the chin, and sent him flying through the air. As he soared clear over the Dwarf, Zombie Dragon, and Wizard, he contemplated just how he came to be in this predicament.

He left his clan because he was sick of all the fighting among the Dragonborn. If the clans united, his people could accomplish truly great things. Arjhan didn't shun a noble fight. Ironically, he had done more fighting since he left his war-torn country. There were more noble reasons to fight in this world than he ever would have imagined. The clan fighting was petty and vain compared to most of the battles he had waged in the years since he left his home. Before he left, he was regarded as one of the greatest and most noble fighters his people had ever known. He went to his clan leaders privately and told them in detail of his concerns, and his plans for a united Dragonborn. He wanted to search the world for other leaders and wise men who might help him achieve his goal of uniting the clans. There were enough clan leaders sympathetic to his cause that they allowed him to leave without dishonor. There was no hunt called on him. However, he was expected to report back on a yearly basis. After several years, he was actually getting results. His clan had made alliances with peoples outside of the Dragonborn, thanks to relationships he had forged. They were able to conquer more clans with less bloodshed, thanks to the threat of additional armies. His clan had subsumed these others, and grown to be one of the most powerful clans among all the Dragonborn. Things had stabilized a bit. The fighting hadn't stopped completely, but the Dragonborn were having peace talks for the first time in decades.

Arjhan was staying in a nearby human kingdom, negotiating an alliance with its ruler, when the letter from Barovia came. It was from the son and daughter of the Burgomaster. The Burgomaster had just died of a heart attack because of what the vampire Strahd did to Ireena, the Burgomaster's daughter. Strahd had terrorized Barovia for two centuries, but since he had noticed Ireena looked like what he thought of as his long lost love, everything changed. Strahd wasn't able to turn Ireena into a vampire, and he took his frustration out on the village. His attacks grew worse and worse as his frustration mounted. Now that he had given up Ireena, and had nothing else to distract him, they feared his wrath would be unquenchable. They were seeking heroes and adventurers to help put an end to Strahd once and for all. Arjhan was sitting across the desk from the king of the little city-state as the king read the letter to him.

"Well, this is perfect," the king said. "If you help save Barovia in my kingdom's name, Barovia will be indebted to us. If you do this, your clan will have us as an ally."

Arjhan looked at the little man, considered his little kingdom, and thought about ripping his little head off. "Perfect," he growled.

He should have been paying attention to the present. He suddenly found himself in a tangle of limbs on the floor with a ghoul. The ghoul was undamaged. Arjhan saw someone put a staff on the head of the ghoul.

"Return to your true master," said a guttural voice. The ghoul vanished. "We had the ghoul under control, Arjhan. Next time, hit the werewolf."

Arjhan looked up with a grin. "Hello Ireena."

A voice suddenly boomed from a far hall, "IREENA!"

"Where did you send that ghoul?" Arjhan asked, as it dawned on him what "your true master" meant.

"On Strahd's head," Ireena said.


End file.
